As a born and raised Calgarian, I am ashamed to admit that I have never owned a pair of cowboy boots. ( Well, that's not entirely true, I did have a pair of cool boots back in 1981 when I was four years old but I doubt that counts!) And as a fiercely proud Calgarian, I have always wanted a pair, especially as the Calgary Stampede approaches each year. Over the past few years, I have often taken a timid look at the boot selection at some of those "stampede" shops along Macleod Trail but never felt comfortable buying a pair. I found boot shopping quite intimidating as I had no clue what to look for and what type/brand of boot offered good quality at a reasonable deal. This year, I knew I had to get some.
Not knowing where to start, I reached out of Twitter for advice! I had a ton of responses with some helpful hints on brands, comfort tips and what price range to look for. Surprisingly, the most positive response was from
Lammless Western Wear, which has been a Calgary retail icon since I was a kid. They offered to spend some time with me to show me all of my choices and help me find the right pair of boots. I took them up on their offer a few weeks ago and had a blast looking! The ladies there were so helpful and showed me probably 10 different styles of boots ( who knew there were so many options?) and I probably tried on 15 pairs. They also explained exactly what to look for in sizing and comfort and explained the differences between the various styles.
While I liked the look of the Ostrich and Alligator boots, I think that they were a little to flashy for this Cranston Cowboy! I was so impressed with the service and information that they provided that I purchased a pair of Ariat Boots, which many people on Twitter recommended also. Here is a shot of these awesome boots.
I was also worried about my first pair of boots being so uncomfortable that I would not be able to enjoy them, but I am amazed at how comfortable this pair actually is. In fact, they are more comfortable than my dress shoes. I have worn them about 10 times in the past three weeks ( not a hint of a blister) and would probably sleep with them on if Becky would allow me!
OK, so it took 30 years for me to get my first real pair of boots but at least its done! Now I cant wait to take in a ton of Stampede functions over the next ten days.
Yahoo!
